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Types of supplies. Explanation of concepts.

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Types of supplies. Explanation of concepts.

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Natural gas is a fossil fuel comprising a mixture of gases frequently found in underground reserves. Although its composition varies depending on the deposit it is taken from, it primarily consists of methane, a greenhouse gas, in amounts that commonly exceed 90 or 95%.
Commercial butane gas is a liquefied gas obtained from the petroleum distillation process. It mainly consists of the hydrocarbons butane and isobutane. It is a colourless, odourless gas. An odorant is added to give it an unpleasant smell. This is so as to make it possible to detect leaks, as the gas is highly volatile and can cause explosions.
Diesel oil is a mixture of liquid hydrocarbons produced by petroleum distillation at an oil refinery. Its main uses are in heating and as a fuel for motor vehicles.
Electricity is an energy vector which can be used to produce movement, heat and light. It is generated using a fundamental property of material whereby materials attract and repel one another due to the existence of negatively charged electrons and positively charged protons.
Products obtained from suitable forms of organic matter are one of the most important sources of renewable energy. These products are commonly referred to as“biomass”.

This definition encompasses a wide variety of products of various origins with very different characteristics. These range from traditional firewood, forestry and farming wastes, garden pruning waste, wastes produced by the agrofoods and timber industries, energy crops, etc. all of which may be considered biomass. This diversity produces a broad range of resources and applications which allow us to consider them as alternatives for use as solid, liquid or gaseous fuels.

Today biomass can be used in fully automated, noise-free modern hot water and heating boilers with efficiencies of up to almost 90%. Typically, boilers are fuelled with biomass in the form of small cylinders, pellets or briquettes.

A key feature of biomass distinguishing it from conventional fuels is that it is emissions neutral, which is to say that its net contribution to atmospheric pollution is zero. First CO2 and other gases are captured from the atmosphere as the biomass is produced, and then they are released during combustion. Moreover, the ash produced by combustion can be recycled as a fertiliser.

Solar energy: solar energy is energy from the sun. Solar energy can be utilised to generate electricity or heat.

Solar photovoltaic energy consists of the direct conversion of the sun's light into electricity. This is made possible by the physical phenomenon called the photovoltaic effect. In the photovoltaic effect the energy of the sun's light excites electrons in the semiconductor elements arranged in panels to produce an electrical current.

Solar thermal energy consists of transforming the sun's energy into heat. By circulating water through pipes in solar panels the water is heated and may be used for heating or as domestic hot water.